The Built Environment

What would it take for our cities and towns to be inclusive of everyone’s needs? For those living with a disability, this is the crux: basic urban infrastructure, services and facilities are either difficult to use or out of bounds altogether. The need for sustainable solutions is ever-more critical considering that two-thirds of the world’s population are expected to reside in urban environments by 2050. At stake is the ability to participate and thrive in civic, economic and social life versus a continuation of the structural disadvantages that lead to exclusion, marginalization and poverty.

How do we seize the opportunities to transform our built environments so that they benefit all members of society? At the same time, how can we rout out the negative attitudes that perpetuate unfair urban policies and practices? To help us get active and implement disability-friendly change, this topic area gathers together presenters with expert backgrounds in governmental leaders, NGO leadership, urban planning and environmental specialties.

Keynote speaker Mark Lakeman, the co-founder of The City Repair Project in Portland, Oregon, brings us compelling evidence of how assisting those without access to design services cultivates community resiliency for all. Other sessions guide us to solutions with pragmatic roadmaps for important processes such as organizing an ADA Self-Evaluation to ensure a built environment is optimally accessible to individuals with disabilities.